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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30145887">Lemon Boy</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fate_of_the_moon/pseuds/fate_of_the_moon'>fate_of_the_moon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stray Kids (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Anniversary, Based on cavetown's Lemon Boy, Birthday Presents, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Half Lemon Hyunjin, Hurt/Comfort, Hybrid Hwang Hyunjin, M/M, Mentioned Han Jisung | Han, Mentioned Lee Felix (Stray Kids), Other: See Story Notes, Pets, Self-Esteem Issues, not that angsty tho</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 18:34:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30145887</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fate_of_the_moon/pseuds/fate_of_the_moon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Hwang Hyunjin had met Minho years ago on March 20th, crying and with his face full of dirt. The other had just looked at him speechless since, somehow, Hyunjin cried flowers. It was sap what runned in Hyunjin’s veins instead of blood, his body was able to cry lemon blossom petals, his skin needed sun exposure almost constantly, he drank water way too often and he smelled like lemon zest. And it had been Minho who taught him how to love himself... And it was Hyunjin who just wanted to thank him for it, on another March 20th.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Minho | Lee Know</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Blossom Boy Fest</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Lemon Boy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hello !! i wrote this for Blossom Boy's ficfest based on the prompt "Flowers" and heavily inspired by the song "Lemon Boy" by Cavetown. There are some references to the song so i will recommend listening to it before reading but it's ok if you don't of course! I really enjoyed writing this, so I hope you enjoy reading it :D</p><p> </p><p>(tw disordered eating)<br/>NOW !! IMPORTANT : theres a part where hyunjin says that he ate just one lemon per day, which irl would be disordered eating, but due to hsi special nature on this fic hyunjin is able to do the photsynthesis so he doesnt need more than a piece of fruit a date to be eating properly. however, dont read it if you are triggered by it, keep yourself safe pls  !</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Hyunjin didn’t know his birthday date, so he couldn’t tell Minho when it was, which the older had fixed by celebrating it on the anniversary for when they first met. He had chosen a good day, to be honest: March 20th was the first day of Spring, so he didn’t have to waste time explaining human customs to the boy, since he could simply tell him his gifts were to celebrate Spring. He had tried to explain birthdays to Hyunjin before, but his flowery mind didn’t understand anything else than Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter regarding dates. In fact, Hyunjin’s knowledge about the human world was pretty much limited. Regardless of the years he had spent living at Minho’s, he had his own beliefs and customs so rooted in his mind that the other hadn’t been able to make him see the world in a different way. But it was fine, it was better this way.</p><p> </p><p>Hwang Hyunjin had met Minho years ago on March 20th, crying and with his face full of dirt. The other had just looked at him speechless since, somehow, Hyunjin cried flowers. According to what Hyunjin had told him, he came from a remote region for magical beings, and that he used to be part of a frolic for “flower hybrids.” It was sap what runned in Hyunjin’s veins instead of blood, his body was able to cry lemon blossom petals, his skin needed sun exposure almost constantly, he drank water way too often and he smelled like lemon zest. Actually it had been his unusual lemon smell and his bittersweet persona what had led into him being kicked out from his frolic. Minho had been the first person to offer him shelter after that.    </p><p> </p><p>“It was horrible” he had told Minho between sobs once they had already made it to Minho’s house “I ate lemons everyday, it was the only thing I ate.” He had explained after that people like him didn’t need much food, since they fed from sun and water and a piece of food per day was enough, but eating the same fruit everyday had probably been terrible “I was sure no one would miss them, because no one was going to miss me either, so I stole lemons everyday. They tasted horrible, and that just made me think that I was horrible too. You know? Orange blossoms and lemon blossoms are almost the same, but the people who smelt like oranges didn’t get any bad comments from others. I was the only one who did. Because I’m disgusting.”</p><p> </p><p>There were still many times in which the poor boy ranted about how orange blossom people received a nice treatment, and even years later Minho could still see his deadly glance at oranges or his little pout when he saw the elder drinking orange juice. But the human’s reaction was always the same: giving him a gentle kiss on his forehead, or on his nose, or on his cheek… Where it was placed didn’t matter, the kiss was enough to make Hyunjin feel better.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s fine, you are not disgusting” he had replied after Hyunjin’d finished his story “You aren’t, I promise. If you were as despicable as you say, then why would I do this?”</p><p> </p><p>Right after that Hyunjin had received his first kiss from Minho and Minho had heard Hyunjin’s giggles for the first time.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s actually very easy to be sweet to a bitter boy” he thought.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>There was one day left till March 20th, Hyunjin thought to himself. He liked March 20th, it was his favorite day of the year. He loved how Minho gifted him things to celebrate their first kiss. He straight up loved Minho. He liked how the elder made little sounds randomly when they were cuddling, he fell for him even more each time the boy told him how cute he was, and there was nothing he loved more than having Minho playing with his hair. </p><p> </p><p>Those presents he received each Spring, on those fresh days when the air was still too cold from winter and the flowers blooming to welcome April… Those little boxes with bracelets, mugs, books or earrings… Those little details just made him feel like the happiest plant on Earth. He enjoyed remembering those first days at Minho’s home, when he cried every so often, and laughing at his past self. Poor old Hyunjin, he had been too dumb to understand the house he had been kicked out from was nothing compared to Minho, who he considered his home. His old bed wasn’t as comfortable as the sofa, where he cuddled the human and his mother's food didn’t taste as good as kisses. How had he cried over missing his warm blankets some time ago when the only heat he craved came from hugs? </p><p> </p><p>Smelling like lemon zest was pretty neat when you had a cute boy like Minho telling you that he liked your sweater’s smell.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>There was one day left till Hyunjin’s “birthday” and Minho didn’t have any present yet. If he explained how his finals season had been terrible and how he had to work extra hours at the animal shelter he worked for, the younger would understand, obviously. But he didn’t want to do that, he wanted to gift him something as in all the other years. He wasn’t very keen on repeating presents either which meant he couldn’t give him another book, even if it was the second part of one he had already given him. Or a mug, even if Hyunjin had accidentally broken his. If he had realized about how close the date was he could have crafted something, but now he didn’t even have the time, he thought to himself as he read through some boring magazine at the shelter. He could take the other to the cinema or to the zoo, but he worked the late shift tomorrow and had to work some extra hours at night, so those options weren’t viable either. Maybe he could buy pie or biscuits, but Hyunjin didn’t need more than a petite snack per day since his body allowed him to do the photosynthesis.</p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>This year, for the first time ever, Hyunjin had planned a gift for Minho. He was worried that, after all the amazing presents he had been receiving year by year, his wasn’t going to be able to beat the expectations or to pay Minho’s efforts. “It’s alright” he told himself “You are not doing this so you can pay him back, you do it because you want him to enjoy the day too.” He looked at the closed door of his closet. Inside, his simple gift rested between fluffy sweaters and pairs of socks. </p><p> </p><p>During one of the afternoons when Minho had been absent due to his job, Hyunjin had spent the day thinking about the older and about how much he fucking loved him. He had ended up thinking so much about how safe it felt to have Minho’s arm around his waist, how soft his skin was and how cute it was to wake up to Minho’s sleepy face, how nice it smell when the boy made coffee, how his clothes had car furr attached to them after work, how pink his lips were and how pretty his browns eyes looked… He had thought about Minho so much he had ended up crying for some hours.</p><p> </p><p>Contrary to Minho’s beliefs, he didn’t cry flowers: he cried pollen and other particles that made flowers bloom as soon as the tears left his eyes. It was annoying to feel petals caressing your wet skin and having your eyes covered by flowers, but it didn’t hurt at all, which most didn’t know. He was used to the feeling by now, after years of living with Minho crying had stopped being a way to release stress or express feelings and now, most of the time it was just a way of asking for pampers.</p><p> </p><p>Minho had spent a lot of time telling him how pretty he was, how everything about him was beautiful, even the parts he despised the most. He had seen Hyunjin crying after showering, with all of his skin red and irritated because he had tried to make the lemon scent disappear just to end up hurting himself. He had been there when Hyunjin tried to burn a bunch of his flowers in fear Minho wouldn’t like him anymore after seeing them. He had seen Hyunjin trying to vore a whole package of sugar, trying to be “less bitter.” He had also been there to hug him, spreading some kind of lotion over his reddened skin telling him that there was no need to have his scent changing. He had helped the younger to play a tiny lemon tree to make him seem how pretty his flowers were and had gifted him with a very long kiss session to convince him of how good he actually tasted. The flowers resting on his face might have caused him disgust time ago, but now he was just happy he could create something that pretty out of tears of joy. </p><p> </p><p>With delicate touches, he had picked each one of the blossoms and then selected which ones were worthy of keeping and which were too wet or broken to keep, and stored both groups in different boxes. One of Minho’s close friends had a small business going on and Hyunjin was sure he had made a few candles before. He picked his phone, put himself inside his cozy coat and reached for the box with the wet flowers, going outside minutes after heading to the boy’s house.</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>No one ever went to the shelter at night, so it was a completely useless shift. The most he ever got at night were people who had found a lost kitty in the street, but that just happened once a week. He could be at home with Hyunjin, or preparing something for his birthday, but instead he was sitting on an uncomfy chair wearing his ugly outfit while going through some mediocre magazine. The shelter’s clock made an obnoxious sound, reminding him how he was running out of time and how he wouldn’t be able to get Hyunjin his present. His phone buzzed inside his pocket, making him pick it quickly. The boy had expected a message for Jin asking how long it would take for his shift to end, but surprisingly it had been his friend Chan who’d texted him,</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>[channie] </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>"minnie minnie minnie r u at work?”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>[minho🐱]</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“yeah unfortunately”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“is there anything you needed?”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>[channie]</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>"bro i was at my aunt’s house tonight for some family stuff and apparently she’s going to abandon her axolotl”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“can i take it there”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>[minho🐱] </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“yeah ig”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“wait are you just going to steal the axolotl”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>[channie] </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>"WHO DO YOU TAKE ME FOR LEE MINHO??”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“SOME AXOLOTL ROBBER WEIRDO??”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“IM A RESPECTABLE AXOLOTL SAVIOR”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“i’ll tell her im going to let it in the lake at the park and then boom im actually giving it to you”</strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>[minho🐱] </strong>
</p><p>
  <strong>“fine”</strong>
</p><p>Chan kept messaging him for some minutes while he walked to Min’s work place, appearing right before the door in less than half an hour. The older boy knocked twice before Minho reached the door and opened it for him, being received with one of the classical Chan’s warm hugs. </p><p>“Where did you put the axolotl?” the younger asked once their hug ended.</p><p> </p><p>“Here!” Chan smiled brightly, showing Minho how the pink animal rested inside a plastic bag he held in his hand.</p><p> </p><p>Minho took the bag away from him quickly, taking the animal to one of the fish bowls they had on the shelter in less than a minute.</p><p> </p><p>“Dummy, the water has to be at a perfect temperature!” he shouted, not because he was mad, just so Chan could hear him clearly. “You could have killed it, dude.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, it will be fine.” he reassured “Oh, it’s smiling! Look how cute.”</p><p> </p><p>They both kneeled so his eyes were at the same age that the fisch bowl was, staring in silence at the pink amphibius who was exploring the new environment. It smiled brightly at them, with its wiggly detectors floating around its head as it played with one of the decorations of the container. </p><p> </p><p>“It’s such a cute baby, I don’t know how my aunt didn’t want it.” </p><p> </p><p>“They need the perfect water conditions and that’s hard to keep constant, it must be tiring to take care of one.” Minho hummed “No one ever comes asking for axolotls, you know? I’m afraid it will stay here forever. Maybe you should take it to your house instead”   </p><p> </p><p>“Neither me or Jisung spend enough time at home to take care of it, I would take it if I could.” Chan explained “What about you, isn’t Hyunjin at home all the time? Doesn’t he feel lonely? Maybe a pet will keep him company”</p><p> </p><p>And there it was. Only some hours before March 20th, Minho had decided what to give to Hyunjin.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>It was late at night, Minho would get home from work in just a few minutes. Normally, Hyunjin would have gone to sleep already, but the older had texted him and begged him to stay awake to receive his gift as soon as possible, so he had. The boy had taken his own box out of the closet. For some reason, he was extremely anxious. Maybe his gift wasn’t good enough, maybe it wasn’t good at all. What if he had just made the whole apartment smell like lemon zest unintentionally for a bad and dumb reason? Oh, God… There were so many things that could go wrong…</p><p> </p><p>His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a knock on the door and Minho’s sweet voice singing “Babe, I’m home” seconds after. Hyunjin went to open the door, box in his hands, being greeted by a smiley Minho. The older male looked pretty tired, which made sense seeing as he had worked till late at night. Yet, he smiled widely towards Hyunjin with big shiny eyes, almost making his huge eye bags unnoticeable. </p><p> </p><p>“I got you a present, look!” He held a big plastic bag right before Hyunjin's eyes. On its inside, some kind of funny-looking pink animal looked at him. “Can you get the fish bowl we used when we had fisch really quick? It needs cold water right now.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sure, bud.” Hyunjin leant down and left a kiss on Minho’s forehead before going to the closet they kept the object in and filling it with cold water. Minho took the animal out of the bag and introduced it inside its new home, looking at Hyunjin right after. “I figured out you would like some company, since I’m at work or at school most of the time. It’s an axolotl! It doesn’t have a name yet so you can name it whatever you’d like.”</p><p> </p><p>“Is it a female or a male?” Hyunjin asked.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t know, we need to google it or something.”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s ok, I will just look for a gender neutral name.” Hyunjin said. “Thank you so much, it’s such a cute pet.” He hugged the older, impregnating the boy’s clothes with his bittersweet smell. “And Minho… I have something for you too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Did you… Did you get me a gift too?” </p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin picked the box up from the table he’d let it on, offering it to Minho.</p><p> </p><p>“I did.” the brunette took it in his hands “Open it, love”</p><p> </p><p>With the uttermost care, Min lifted the top of the box and placed it somewhere else. Inside, a thick yellow candle and a little bag made with a transparent cloth rested, partly hidden by a paper with his boyfriend’s handwriting on it. He took the paper and read it quickly.</p><p> </p><p>“Thank you so much for everything you ever did for me. You have been giving me presents on March 20ths every year since we met, which I’m thankful for. You gave me a place to call my home, which I’m thankful for. You kiss me every day and hug me every night, which I’m thankful for. You made me realize I’m loveable, which I’m thankful for. You made me love myself and gave me someone to love, which I’m thankful for. I want to give you something in return, so here you have: a handful of those flowers you taught me to love and a candle made of the same flowers. The things I learnt to love to the person I love the most: a pretty accurate gift if you ask me. Haha. I hope you like it, my beloved.”</p><p> </p><p>By the time he finished reading, the words were already becoming blurry due to the tears on Minho’s eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“Did you like it?” the younger boy asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Dummy, I love it so much.” Minho sobbed, wrapping himself around Hyunjin to cry on his chest. “You had to cry so much for this though…”</p><p> </p><p>“They were happy tears, my love. Don’t make your pretty brain worry about that.” </p><p> </p><p>“I’m so glad… I’m so glad I make you happy, you can’t even understand it.” </p><p> </p><p>“Love, I didn’t know happiness till I met you.” Hyunjin confessed “So it’s a pleasure to know I make you this glad too.”</p><p> </p><p>Hyunjin grabbed him by the chin and made him look up, placing a soft kiss on his lips that Minho made deeper. They parted apart seconds after, coming back to hugging. Minho looked up at his boyfriends, who kissed his forehead again and caressed Min’s hair.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you so much, Hyunjin” he whispered, closing the distance between them again.</p><p> </p><p>“I love you so much more.” </p><p> </p><p>And they kissed once again, and once again, and once again… Till the night became too old and they both grew too tired. They slept on the couch, not even bothering to go to their bedroom, hugged tighly around each other with their faces painfully close.</p><p> </p><p>Because they were the bitterest boys in town… The bitterest boys around. </p><p> </p>
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